EASTNOR trainer Matt Sheppard is knocking in the winners with his stable at the moment and struck again at Hereford Racecourse on Thursday, when his Johnny Mac won the two-mile Novices' Handicap Chase.

Making his stable debut for Sheppard, ridden by jockey Lee Edwards, Johnny Mac was always travelling easily in the 10-runner field and Edwards produced his mount to challenge at the second last fence before cruising home a comfortable one length winner.

This was Sheppard’s 10th winner of the season and the style of the win suggests that Johnny Mac, who won at odds of 11/2 for owner Gareth Davies, can follow up again.

Casa No Mento, from the yard of trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, was well fancied in the two-mile novice hurdle.

The five-year-old demonstrated a smart acceleration to make it two out of two over hurdles under jockey Finn Lambert with a stylish 15-length victory.

The target now is the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham and Willy Twiston-Davies, the trainer's son and assistant, said: "We think quite a lot of her. She's a very, very quick filly and we haven't got a workhorse like her.

“On good ground over two miles there wouldn't be too many horses I'd be scared of with her.”

Twiston-Davies warned though: "Cheltenham is always in the back of our minds but the main target is to win a Listed race and then whatever she does is a bonus. With the English mares I'd say she'd be up there with the best but you don't know how they compare with the Irish."

Trainer Paul Nicholls continued his good run of form when his French bred four-year-old Jackpot Des Bordes ran out an impressive winner in the finale.

Despite looking a little green under jockey Harry Cobden, Jackpot Des Bordes was in charge from the penultimate furlong and quickened up well drawing clear by two and three-quarter lengths from the promising runner-up The Grey Man.